Snake's Tears
by follow the halo
Summary: Ace mistreats his girlfriend, Buttercup. Snake intervenes. ""Ace?" Buttercup smiled in her sleep, cuddling up to Snake. That smile, so familiar to Snake back from those days when she was still somebody, a heroine, a Powerpuff Girl."
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own PPG.

A/N: Buttercup and Ace's relationship from Snake's pov. I'd always felt that Buttercup and Snake would do well with each other. Warning, this is an abusive Ace here, so if you prefer reading stories where Ace and Buttercup are happy together, this is not for you.

As always, he watched as Buttercup sneaked out of the house to meet the Gangreen Gang, or more specifically Ace. This was because the poor girl's heart was stolen by Ace, the most glamorous member of the gang. The charismatic one, the boss and leader. And he, Snake, was nothing more than his Yes-man, the one who faithfully carried out his orders, who got roughed up if he spoke out of turn. In fact, Snake recalled, speaking at all for himself was considered out of turn. He contemplated all this as he watched Buttercup slowly but surely falling in love with Ace, as surely as the days passed and turned into weeks, months, and years.

Oh, Snake knew, that Ace didn't love her, he was only playing with her heart.

One cold night, Snake found Buttercup curled up on the floor. Bruises and bite marks on her body, what had she become? Nothing. Just like him, just like all those that came into contact with Ace. Ace himself, apparently, had gone and not likely to come crawling back from the nightclubs till the next day.

Snake crouched and cradled her head gently. "Buttercup'sss?" She was unconscious and abandoned. Snake felt rage. That bastard! Why the fuck did he leave his girlfriend like this? And he felt sorrow.

He was supposed to be Ace's punching bag, just like how he became his father's punching bag before he ran away and joined the gang. And all those nights Ace came back drunk, Snake was also Ace's convenient fuck toy. But Buttercup? She was supposed to be different, Snake thought. With her as Ace's girlfriend, Ace would turn good, stop punching and stop fucking around with Snake's life. But it turns out that Ace was just playing around with her. He was never serious about turning good, just like how he was never serious about anything. So he watched as their fights grew steadily more violent, but this time Buttercup held back her powers. Because she loved Ace.

He sighed. Rising up and going to his room, he took out a ratty old hoodie of his and covered up her body.

"Ace?" Buttercup smiled in her sleep, cuddling up to Snake. That smile, so familiar to Snake back from those days when she was still somebody, a heroine, a Powerpuff Girl. It transformed her for a moment, making Snake wish it came from girl happily sleeping in her own bed, not this beaten-up girl sleeping on the floor, abandoned by her abusive boyfriend. It was too much for Snake, he just couldn't take the injustice of it all. Snake cried for Buttercup, and for himself.

The night was long, and so Snake sat by Buttercup's sleeping body until he himself fell asleep, curled up against her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Listening to Eminem's "Space Bound"

"Ace, I've had enough. I wanna break up with you. I wanna go home." Buttercup felt it best to tell him, before she left him to return to her sisters and the professor. She had stayed awake for many nights before she finally came to that decision.

Ace just stared at her for a few moments before he burst out laughing. "Come on, babe. You wouldn't last 2 seconds without me here. Didn't cha say I was your love, your one and only?" He continued, "And you were willing to throw it all away for me, running away from your family and all that. Maybe you've forgotten all we've been through and you need a reminder." Ace was now pinning Buttercup to the wall.

"Ace, don't be like this. I, I do love you but maybe it's you that doesn't love me anymore," Buttercup tried to reason with him.

"Oh yeah? Who says I don't love you? I'll SHOW you how I love you!" Ace had unfastened his pants, breathing unsteadily, his breath reeked of alcohol. He roughly tore at Buttercup's shirt and she screamed.

"ACESSSSS!" Snake roared, pulling Ace off of her. Snake just lost it. When he heard Buttercup's scream, and earlier that day he saw her packing her meagre amount of clothing and Ace's jacket into a haversack, knowing she was leaving, he snapped. "WHATSSS-THE-FUCKSSSS –DO –YOUSS –THINK –YOU'RESS –DOING?" He spit out each word, punctuating them with punches to Ace's body. In the end, he was just standing there, his brains too full of anger to think. Ace lay in a bloodied heap on the floor, passed out from his drunkenness or from his punches, Snake didn't know. He didn't care, either.

A soft sobbing caught his attention. Buttercup sat in the corner, rocking herself with her arms clutched tight to the torn front of her shirt.

"Ssshitss."Snake hissed out, sighing as he ran his hand through his hair. "Come ons, I'll takess you homesss.

Walking around Townsville with Buttercup in tow, Snake was surprised nobody recognised her. But it had been years when the people saw her, and Buttercup had changed. Her hair no longer flicked out to their signature bangs, and she wasn't wearing the childish dress the professor made her wear. But it wasn't just the minor changes either. Buttercup had become more serious, unhappy and unsmiling. She had also lost weight and could easily fit into Snake's clothes.

"Thanks, Snake. I don't know what would've happened if you…if you didn't…" Buttercup gave up trying to finish the sentence and settled back to silence.

It wasn't long before they reached the neighbourhood where she lived. The grass was greener, the air was fresher and everything seemed so perfect, happy and shiny. Buttercup and Snake looked out of place there.

"I, I can't do this, Snake!" Buttercup hesitated to press the doorbell of the Utonium residence. She ran off towards the bus stop.

Snake caught up with her and asked, "Whyss that?"

"Because, I'm sure they'd hate me now. They wouldn't want me anymore cos I don't belong here anymore!" Buttercup said.

Snake said, "I'm ssure they'll wants you, Buttercup. They loves you, I'm ssure, cos you'res family."

"Do you really believe that?" They stared into each other's eyes.

Snake finally lowered his gaze. "My familys didn't loves me. But I don't lie, Buttercupss, your family loves you.

Buttercup sighed. "Don't leave me, Snake. Hold my hand, please?"

On the doorstep of the house, Snake squeezed Buttercup's hand as she raised her hand to ring the doorbell. An eternity passed before the door opened to reveal the Professor.

"Buttercup? Is that you?" The Professor looked as if he had aged faster. His head was now completely grey. "Girls, girls! Your sister's home!" He called out. In mere seconds, Buttercup was surrounded and squeezed in a hug with her father and sisters. Snake stood to the side, not being part of the family moment. He'd never been hugged.

Flashbacks of his own family played in his mind…

His mother, cold and dead in the ground…The punching from his father getting worse till he was forced to run away, only to be used and abused by Ace. How ironic.

The breath was knocked out of him when he was unexpectedly hugged. Slender arms wrapped around his waist, and dark hair fanning out like a halo. He looked down and into the most breath-taking green eyes he had ever seen. Too many times he had seen those eyes cry, tears wasted on a person who didn't know love if it hit him. Unbidden, his hands caressed her shoulders, lifted her chin and their lips met…

It was a chaste kiss, one bestowed between innocent youngsters who didn't know any better. His first hug, and his first kiss, tinged and shaded by sorrow and abuse.


	3. Chapter 3

Days passed since Buttercup showed up at the doorstep. But she didn't want Snake to leave. He'd thought that with her family around her, she wouldn't need him anymore. And he didn't feel wanted there. He was part of the gang, a reminder of Buttercup's painful relationship with Ace.

"Stay with me, Snake. I don't want you to leave me," Buttercup would say, and Snake didn't have the heart to say no. So he lived in the Utonium house, washing dishes, throwing the trash, anything, just so he could stay close to her.

It got to the point where Snake fooled himself into thinking that he belonged there, never mind the fact that he had no room to call his own and he slept on a mattress in the living room. He had warm food, clean clothes and showered regularly, it was enough for him.

One day, the Professor decided to have a talk with them. "Buttercup, I don't really approve of your relationship with Snake, and he's stayed here long enough while you recover. I suggest you let him return to his gang now."

"No! Please Professor, I love him. And I know he loves me too." Buttercup continued, "Do you want to return to the Gangreen gang, Snake?"

"No. Professsor, I've cut off my tiesss with Acess ssince that dayss, I don't plansss to return to them. But I agreess that I'ves sstayed here long enoughsss," Snake said. "Goodbyesss, Buttercup." She flew to her room and slammed the door so hard it rattled on its hinges.

"Buttercup? Buttercup!" They called out her name and knocked on the door repeatedly. Snake stood frozen. Should he stay or should he go?

"Snake, I'm afraid only you can calm her down." Blossom admitted defeat after failing to get Buttercup to open the door.

He finally went to her room. A million things that he would like to say, to comfort her but all he said was, "It's me, Buttercup. Let me in."

Finally, the door opened a crack to let only Snake in. Buttercup shut the door quickly to prevent anyone else from entering. Looking around in the dim light, Snake was glad she no longer shared a room with her sisters. The room was a mess, everywhere he could see torn pictures of Ace and couple photos where Buttercup had been busy cutting out Ace's profile.

"Ssssnake…" Buttercup hissed out his name. It was the most sexiest thing he had ever heard, and he wanted to hear his name on her lips again but Buttercup had other ideas. Pushing him on her bed, she straddled his hips.

Snake groaned, it felt like heaven to feel her rub him there…and he didn't want her to stop. But this was not how he wanted his first time with her to be. Buttercup slid her slender limbs around his body, driving him mad with need. They were spinning dangerously out of control, but he refused to be like Ace, refused to let his love for her to be based on mere, temporary lust.

"Ssstop! Don't do thiss, Buttercup," Snake said. "Your ssissterss are sstill waiting for you outsside the door. Go to them, they're worried ssick about you." Buttercup stopped, and went out the door.

Snake smiled to hear the sisters' relieved voices. Buttercup, however, wasn't ready to see the professor yet.

It wasn't long before she stepped into the room again. She had been so stupid, falling in love with Ace who only wanted sex from her. When she refused, he quickly dropped his loving façade to reveal his true self. How was she supposed to know if Snake was only acting? That's why she tested him. And she was relieved when Snake wanted her to stop, even when he was obviously enjoying it.

"Don't. I don't wants our relationsship to be like thiss. I love yous, Buttercup," Snake had stepped far away from the bed and was cautiously observing her.

"You know what? You're a real gentleman, Snake. You're not like Ace at all." Buttercup felt her heart filled with love, and hugged him.


End file.
